Music News

A busy start to Term 4!

Term 4 is well underway and it has already been a busy one in the music department, with students having a number of performance opportunities already.

Our VCE Music Performance students performed a run through of their exam program back in early October. For this exam they are required to present a program of around 20 minutes, showing varied instrumental styles and playing techniques. The evening was a great showcase of what students have been working on throughout the year. Thanks to Ms Grunwald for organising and to Ms Patti and Mr Franklin for coming along.

Many our Year 12 music students, along with some who had learnt instruments in previous years, joined together for the final Year 12 assembly to make their own band. They performed Coldplay’s Viva La Vida as well as Forever Young, made famous by the band Youth Group. A special thanks to Chloe Tan and Ben Sargent for arranging the music to suit the band’s instrumentation, and Chloe for leading the rehearsals.

Our Symphonic Strings and Symphonic Band both presented lunchtime concerts last week, to an appreciative audience. Each group performed several of the pieces they had learnt this year, and attendees for the Symphonic Strings concert were also privileged to hear a piano/cello duet from Chris. P. and Gemima. N. These performances also mark the final time our current Year 12’s will be performing with a major ensemble at Highvale Secondary College. We recognised our Year 12 music students (and stage/tech crew) at the recent graduation ceremony and wish them all the best for the future.

Finally, 5 of our beginner brass and woodwind students took part in the North-East Victorian Region Rookie Band workshop, ably conducted by our own Mr Jim McGuffie. The day brought together students form a number of nearby schools for a day of music making, with a small concert presented at the end. Please see below for a similar opportunity for our string students.

Upcoming Performance Opportunities

Our final concert for the year will take place on Thursday November 7th. This will involve our junior and intermediate ensembles (Nouveau Strings, Junior Concert Band, Intermediate Strings, Intermediate Concert Band, Rhythm Riders), as well as Harmonix and some smaller ensembles. Please keep an eye on your e-mails and Compass newsfeed for the most up to date information. The livestream link will be posted on Compass newsfeed just prior to the concert. Unfortunately, in-person tickets have already sold out.

There will also be further opportunities for students this term:

• Select soloists and small groups may be offered the opportunity to perform at the DAT Show on Wednesday 20th November between 6pm and 7:45pm. Students should discuss with Mr Mitchell or their instrumental teacher if they are interested, and be aware that we need to keep equipment minimal (no drum kit, minimal amplification). Further, it is during the exam period, so students should consider whether this is something they can commit to before signing up.
• It has started to become an annual tradition for some of our students to put on a small concert at the Glen Waverley Library in early December. This year’s show will be Monday December 9 and teachers will be organising small groups, duets and soloists to perform. Students wishing to organise their own items should speak to Mr Mitchell.
• String students in Years 7 – 9 may be interested to join the NEVR String Workshop from Monday 2nd – Wednesday 4th December. Please see the notice on Compass for details. Please note that although the overall event is also open to older students, due to the VCE Head Start program, we are only opening it to Year 7 – 9 students from Highvale.

Instrumental Lessons

A few reminders for students as instrumental lessons continue this term:

• Please check your lesson times carefully each week, and again the day before the lesson. Write yourself a reminder if you need it so you remember to attend (or if you use a BYOD, set a reminder using a calendar app such as Outlook).
• If you will miss a lesson please see your teacher or send your teacher an e-mail in advance. In some cases, the lesson time may be able to be re-arranged but this is not always possible. The earlier you let a teacher know of a problem with the lesson time, the more likely it is that they can change it for you.
• Please ensure you complete regular practice as advised by your teacher. Some teachers will write practice requirements in the Compass lesson plan, so please check this.

Ensembles

Ensembles will start to wrap during this term. Teachers will communicate dates of final rehearsals with their groups. Please note that rehearsal times may get used for auditions for senior ensembles and/or preparations for the Glen Waverley library concert. The schedule below is provided for your convenience. There are no current plans to change the schedule for next year and wherever possible, we are aiming to let students know of any changes to their allocated ensemble(s) for 2025 before the Christmas break.

2024 Performances

For your forward planning, please see the proposed 2024 performances below. If you are unsure if your student will be required on a particular date, please contact the music department for confirmation.